Martin Louis King, Jr.
|monarch = Angelina II |deputy = |predecessor = Michel Stagg |successor = |cabinet = |order2 = Leader of the Official Opposition in the Gold Coast |term_start2 = March 17, 2013 |term_end2 = December 16, 2016 |predecessor2 = Amanda Bor |successor2 = Alan Manrique |order3 = Member of the Gold Coast Senate from the 2nd District |term_start3 = December 16, 2012 |term_end3 = December 16, 2016 |predecessor3 = Kevin Mullins (redistricted) |successor3 = Ashley Nunes |order4 = Member of the Gold Coast Provincial Assembly from the 17th District |term_start4 = June 7, 2008 |term_end4 = December 16, 2012 |predecessor4 = Ethan Mendez |successor4 = Barry Bonds |order5 = Member of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors from the 5th District |term_start5 = December 16, 2005 |term_end5 = December 16, 2007 |predecessor5 = Nicholas Lyon |successor5 = Michelle Bianchi |birth_date = |birth_place = Porciúncula, Gold Coast, Sierra, KS |death_date = |death_place = |constituency = |party = Royalist |rhouse = |spouse = Noel King, 1st Viscountess of Karakale |multiple_spouses = |children = 2 |residence = |alma_mater = Baldwin Hills Community College )}} Mulholland University )}} |profession = |religion = |signature = }}Martin Louis Omari West King, Jr., The Lord of Karakale (born August 6, 1977), styled Lord Martin Louis King, Jr., is a Sierran politician and businessman who is the 35th and current governor of the Gold Coast. A member of the Royalist Party, King previously served as a member of the Gold Coast Provincial Legislature, both in the Provincial Assembly (2008–2012) and the Senate (2012–2016). He represented the 17th District ( and ) as a member of the Provincial Assembly, and the 2nd district (Eastern ) as a member of the Provincial Senate. During his tenure in the Senate, he led the Royalist Opposition from 2013 to 2016 as the party's leader. King was born in , Porciúncula and was raised in a middle-class family background. He attended the , and later graduated from Mulholland University in 2001. After graduation, he worked as a , using the wealth he received from his father, and focused on Porciúncula's fashion industry. King began his political career as a member of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, and represented the 5th District (2005–2007). He later represented the 17th District for two terms in the Gold Coast Provincial Assembly from 2008 to 2012. King was noteworthy for being one of the few African-Sierran politicians in subnational office at the time, and one of the Kingdom's youngest elected officials. He was elected into the Gold Coast Senate in 2012, representing the newly redistricted 2nd District. King became the leader of the Official Royalist Opposition in the Gold Coast Senate in 2013, after his predecessor, Amanda Bor, stepped down from the post. A party favorite, King gained traction within the party ranks for his leadership and commitment towards party policy, and for taking part in an emerging trend of conservative Royalist blacks in politics. He delivered the keynote speech at the 2012 Royalist National Convention, controversially declaring that the Royalist's rivals, the Democratic-Republicans, "didn't care about black people". King's landslide 2012 re-election to the Provincial Senate that year signaled a significant upset in the traditionally Democratic-Republican province. In 2016, he was nominated for governor, after a virtually uncontested closed primary by the Royalist Party. He proceeded to win the extremely close general election against Democratic-Republican incumbent, Michel Stagg. He entered office as the Gold Coast's first African-Sierran governor on December 16, 2016. Early life, education, and entry into politics Martin Louis Omari West King, Jr. was born in , Porciúncula, the only son of Martin Louis King, Sr. and Donna C. King (née Robertson). His parents were third-generation African-Sierrans, with King's maternal great-grandparents hailing from the Dixie state of , and King's paternal great-grandparents coming from the Appalachian state of . Neither of his parents had ever visited east of the at the time of West's birth, and both worked as urban professionals. King's father worked as a legal counsel for Augustine Materials, a local construction company. King's mother was a professor of English at , and as Chair of the English Department. When King was 7, his family moved to a larger house in . Growing up in a religious household, he and his family attended church services regularly at the Baldwin Park Christian Fellowship Church. King credited his mother's religiosity for impacting his own views and life of faith. King attended Baldwin Vista High School, graduating in 1995, and ranked 6th out of his class of 550 students. After high school, he attended a year at Baldwin Hills Community College, before enrolling at the (now the University of Sierra, Porciúncula) as a junior due to the college credits he earned from passing several AL tests from high school. He graduated with his in business administration, and his at Mulholland University in 2001. Prior to entering into politics, King used funding from his father to help start-up his friends' firms, and other businesses throughout Porciúncula. He became a financial adviser at Von Holt, and worked closely in the local fashion scene, contributing his own ideas to the company's shoe line. In 2005, King ran for the newly created seat for the 5th District of Ventura County Board of Supervisors as a Royalist. Young and inexperienced in law and politics, he was regarded as the underdog in the race against felow candidate and former district attorney Rick Vossen in the Royalist primary. During the race, King pointed towards his success as a student, and a young entrepreneur, and stressed on his ability to bring "fresh changes" to county politics. During his campaign, he personally raised $400,000 from his own funds to run, and another $300,000 from supporters. King defeated Vossen 54%–46%, and proceeded on to run against Democratic-Republican challenger Tommy Sanchez, a former public school teacher, and Libertarian challenger Sean Toole. King defeated Sanchez and Toole with 48%–47%–5%. As a member of the Board of Supervisors, he represented the area and Ventura County portion of the . During his tenure, he promoted community safety and transportation improvements. He championed mental health services for the mentally ill, and spearheaded the Human Services Agency's employment assistance program. King and his colleagues also balanced the budget. Part of the balancing effort included the dismissal of over 100 positions from office that the Board deemed unnecessary. Towards the end of King's term, he oversaw the incorporation of Royal Oaks, a new community within his district, and met and congratulated the newly elected municipal government leadership. In 2007, King shifted his ambitions towards an open seat in the Gold Coast Senate. He announced his intention to run for the seat during the late fall, just two months away from the party primaries. Gold Coast Provincial Assembly Elections Tenure Committee assignments Gold Coast Senate Elections Tenure Opposition leader Committee assignments Governor 2016 election Tenure Political positions Fiscal Education Energy and environment Immigration Health care Gun rights LGBT rights Abortion Drug policy Royalist Governors Association Personal life Electoral history Writings See also *Gold Coast *Politics of the Gold Coast |- |- |- |- Category:Gold Coast Category:Kingdom of Sierra Category:Politicians of Sierra Category:Sierrans Category:Royalists Category:African-Sierrans